Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Cutting Edge-- A Review--and Giveaway!

The Cutting Edge rulers are a new product designed by my friend Pat Sloan and the good people at Sullivan's. Pat is a very well known pattern and fabric designer, and has written countless books for Leisure Arts. She is amazing and I have no idea how she can do it all, but seriously she does. On top of all of that, she is really fun and a great lady. When she asked me to do a blog review on her new rulers, of course I agreed. Then I met Mark from Sullivan's and he and I got along famously, so I knew this would be a fun product to try out. Sullivan's is known for their sewing furniture and cutting tables, but they are really moving forward into the spotlight with some of their revolutionary new products like the Cutting Edge Rulers. Did you know that Sullivan's makes embroidery floss? I didn't. They have a great embroidery floss that comes in 454 colorfast, tangle free, colors and is made from Egyptian cotton. They also make needles, pins, cutting implements, mats and other great sewing and quilting items.

The Cutting edge Ruler is an acrylic ruler that has a 650 grit Diamond Carbide edge that is bonded to the ruler. What you really want to know is will the sharpener edge come off at some point? The answer is no, that is highly unlikely even for the most used ruler. I asked Mark about that. I got a very technical answer, but no it won't come off. The sharpener edge is there for good.

To answer a few more questions:

Is the edge of the ruler sharp? No it is actually very smooth.

Does the edge of the ruler stick out a lot to make it awkward to cut with? No.

Will it remove the nicks in my blade from running over pins with my rotary cutter? The answer to that is, maybe. That will depend more on the depth of the nick in your blade. If it is really deep, it may not completely fix the nick, but it will definitely help make it less pronounced and smooth it some. If it is just a tiny nick, it probably will smooth it out like it did for some of mine.

Will the sharpener become less effective over time? No. Because of the extremely tough substance that makes the Diamond Carbide edge, it should always be as effective in sharpening and cutting as the day you brought it home.

Do they carry my favorite size of ruler? For the most part, YES! They have 10 of the most popular sizes of rulers in the edge. They have the following sizes: 4.5" square, 6.5" square, 9.5" square, 12.5" square, 16.5" square, 6.5" x 24.5" rectangle, 6.5" x 18" rectangle, and the "Yardstick" 4.5" x 37".

Why is the ruler frosted? This is to help keep it from slipping. When you press down on the ruler and the frosted side is on your fabric, it won't slide around like the shiny acrylic rulers do. This means no more sandpaper dots, or double stick tape on your rulers. Yay!

What's with the dots? The dots are registration marks to make it easier to see what measurement you are cutting at. I found this very helpful.

Why is it in red and black and white? This makes the rulers actually very easy to read and to find the correct cutting line. It is so much easier than just black, or black and yellow is to see on other rulers.

Why should I buy another ruler? Read on my friends and I hope you will find that answer. (but also your regular acrylic rulers edge does wear down and can get a curvy edge in the middle if you use it a lot- this one won't, and you will always have straight cut fabric and sharp blades.) Yay!

So now your main questions have been answered. I was a little skeptical because it just didn't seem possible that a ruler could sharpen my blades while I cut fabric. Talk about a time saver! Two birds, one stone. You get the idea. My true opinion is that I really found this ruler to everything it claims to be.

The Pros---It sharpened my blades (all of which were terribly dull on purpose), it helps you get a straight, crisp cut easily and effectively, and it was easy to use. I would even venture to say it saved me time overall in cutting because it was so easy to see the large numbers and registration dots on the ruler. The lines are easy to see and to read, which kept me from searching for the right place to cut. The way the rulers are designed was perfect for me. You can see that the inch lines in red on the square easily, so squaring up a block is such a breeze. On the long ruler, the black lines from the sharpener edge are the one inch mark, and the red lines are the half inch mark. So simple. The frosting makes it slip less. It pulled some of the small nicks out of my blades, which was unexpected. Not all, but the tiny ones are gone. It was easy to use right from the start- there is no learning curve or lip to line up, or strange markings to get used to. I also found that if I sharpen one side of the blade, then turn the blade over in the cutter and sharpen the opposite side, it makes the blade almost brand new.

The Cons----The overall cost of these rulers is a little more (about $25 for the 6.5" x 24.5" size and $18 for the 12.5" square) than the acrylic rulers that most quilters use. However; keep in mind the cost in savings by not purchasing new blades as frequently, and the rotary blade sharpeners on the market now cost more than one of these rulers. I have seen some rotary blade sharpeners run anywhere from $30-$65. I'm no expert, but at least with the Cutting Edge you get a ruler too! Another downside is that the frosting on the ruler is a bit heavy. If your cutting mat is dark green it can be hard to see darker fabrics through the ruler. I found that the fabric and green cutting mat blended together through the frosting making it hard to see where to line up the fabric. I did try the ruler on several cutting mats, and the dark green is the only color that was challenging. Blue, grey, pink, yellow, white were all fine to see the fabric. There is a sort of gritty sound when you are first cutting with a dull blade. After about five passes, it is about the same as any other ruler. I got used to it really fast.

Bottom Line-- The good definitely outweighs the bad. This ruler is a winner. Even though I could change back to my standard ruler that I normally use, I haven't. I think that says a lot. I always go back to my stand-by's if I don't love a product. I think this one is my new love.

The giveaway rules: Leave a comment about why you need a Cutting Edge Ruler. There will be two winners each of whom will get their choice of size of one Cutting Edge Ruler from Sullivan's. Cool huh! That's it easy! But if you love this review, post about it on your blog, Tweet about it, Facebook about it and then come back here and let me know in a comment. The kids who do that extra bit will be entered to win a separate prize for a quilt kit for my Swing Dance pattern. Three winners total-- one winner for the kit, two winners for the rulers. (the kit is in black and white and pink, not in the colors shown on the cover)Giveaway ends on President's Day Monday Feb 21st at 9 PM MST.

Be sure to leave your email address if your Blogger account is not enabled with your email address showing in your profile. Otherwise I can't reach you and will have to choose someone else.

Can't wait for a giveaway? You can get your rulers HERE or at Pat's site HERE or at my friend Kelly's site HERE

I would so love to win these rulers, I have been looking at them lately. The 24" ruler I have now is probably almost 15 years old and is taped together so it needs to be replaced! Thanks for all the good information...it is nice to have feedback from another quilter before you make a purchase like this. (and thanks for the giveaway!)

Honestly? My favorite ruler is worn down on one end, and has sandpaper strips on the back. I'd love to have one that was not only accurate (!) and non-slip, but would also keep my rotary cutter nice and sharp!!

I have been wondering ow these rulers would work and now I have answers. Thanks. I need one because a replacement blades for my favorite cutting tool is ten dollars. Amazing tool but expensive to replace.

Of course I need the Cutting Edge ruler. I don't have a 12.5" square ruler and one with a blade sharpener will surely come in handy! Plus, I can stop throwing away my dull blades ! I think it will be my new love too! Thanks for the chance :)

My mother and I both cut fabrics with a rotary cutter and sometimes have weakness in our hands/wrists = nicks on ruler and blade. It would be helpful to have a self sharpening cutting edge ruler so our cuts are clean and reduce blade consumption. Thanks fot the giveaway.

Hi I am thinking the same as most of the other ladies, that a ruler thay ACTUALLY sharpens the blade of my rotary cutter- WOW. saving there for a start. Also marking the rulers with the different colours would be most helpful!sandangels1945@hotmail.com

Thanks for your review. I just ordered myself the 9.5 square ruler two days ago and can't wait to try it. Would love to win maybe the 4.5x9. I am hoping these rulers will help to eek out a little more life from my blades. I'm the type that puts up with skipping and dull blades to save money and then wants to kick myself for waiting so long when I finally get a new blade it and glide through my projects! All that frustration for so little really!!! So here's hoping I get good results too!freeindeed at myfairpoint dot net

I want one because I would love to save some money on blades. They are really expensive, and I've nicked a ruler or 2 and ruined both in the process. Never heard of Sullivan's, I'll have to check them out.

I have been wanting to give this ruler a try. Most of my rulers are needing to be replaced and I was already considering replacing with this ruler at least my most used 6 1/2" X 18" one. I enjoyed your post especially with the pros and cons!

I need to win because my rulers are old and I simply cannot afford to buy new ones and if I cannot afford new rulers can you imagine what my blades look like? Or can you imagine how many times I have to run over the fabric to cut my fabirc?

These rulers look like such a fantaastic idea! I never remember to change my blade, then I cut and I cut and after a while I get frustrated because it isn't cutting well or strainght.... but do i remember to change my blade? No. I just keep being frustrated, usually until someone else, like my daughter or my friend Julie is crafting with me and goes to cut. Julie will say, Uh, Linda? Do you mind if I chcange the blade in this thing? Oy... THE CUTTING EDGE rulers would make my life easier!

I am just getting into quilting, so any new rulers would be great. These look like great rulers. I would love to try them. Thanks for the giveaway and for designing a great ruler. mdwelectric@comcast.net

I confess I'm in the skeptically optimistic crowd - but would love to give the ruler a try! Suffered Sticker Shock when I bought my last blade and then dropped the damn thing after just a few uses. grrr

Ok, you did say to tell you why I "need" vs. "want" this ruler... I love sewing and quilting but I'm also a single mom working part time and going to school full time. What money I can spare I would love to be able to spend on fabric rather than blades for my cutter which seem to be getting more expensive each time I turn around! This ruler sounds like it would be heaven sent. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

Why I need a new ruler... I have an almost two year old that sat on mine. It was a wee bit old. And it broke. =/ So either way, Im going to have to replace mine. Thank you for the review and thank you for the giveaway!

What a great review! I just heard about these rulers this week. Why do I need one of these rulers? I'm a very new quilter, and don't have many supplies at this point, so this would be a great addition to my growing collection of tools. Thanks for sharing!

Awesome review! All my questions are answered and I am totally convinced that I need one of these rulers in my studio. I'm the girl who has to have a pencil sharpened all the time, and it goes the same with my rotary cutting blade. Thanks for the chance!

My ruler is old and it fell recently on the floor. Needless to say that a bit is now missing.Besides wining a new ruler it would be fantastic not to buy so many substitute blades for my rotary cuter.Thanks for the chance

This is definitely the ruler that I need. I just had an accident the other day by using my regular rotary ruler to fold some fabric, yes, to fold, not to cut. And the rotary ruler cut my hand!! Yes, again, the ruler, not the cutter that cut my hand. How weird could it be, but it happened! I am desperately needing a new ruler. Hope that I will win and thanks for the chance!

These rulers sound wonderful, a boon to any quilter. I'd love to use them to sharpen my blade, but also to always get a good clean cut--I tend to use my blades too long, when they should be replaced. I also like the idea of the color of the rulers. Thanks very much.

I have been thinking about getting some of these rulers but wasn't sure if they were as great as advertised. Since you answered some of the very questions I had, I'm now convinced they are - thanks for the review! And thanks for the chance to win one!

I've wanted some of these rulers since I first saw them. Other than the savings alone on buying new blades I would love one because I have been known to cut into my rulers. oops. Not so good for the ruler OR the blades. The edge on these would mean no damage to the ruler if I were to do that.

Nice Giveaway! I would love to win because my old ruler snaped/cracked in a few different places. I didn't realize there were some that also sharpened my blade! Now I'm really crossing my fingers!annemolino at hotmail dot com

My O'Lipfa ruler just isn't cutting it anymore! The "Lip" broke off long ago, and it's suffering from overuse - I'm getting that "wave" in the middle of it! I would love to have a new long ruler! and if it sharpens blades??? WOW!

I need a Cutting Edge Ruler because it sharpens rotary cutters. I must spend a fortune on blades, and this would certainly cut down on that cost and allow me to have more money to spend on fabric. I put in a new blade before starting on a new project and by the time I finished cutting the fabric and the flannel for the bag project and a mystery quilt I could tell my blade was already getting dull. By the time I finished the bag, and did the last cutting through the layers to even out the edges I was having to cut through twice just to get through the layers. The Cutting Edge Ruler would certainly help my blades last longer.

I have been watching these rulers. Tghey are calling to me but I have a large investment in anothor ruler line ( as in I own the entire collection). I have always been told not to mix ruler brands when cutting.But this seems such a CLEVER idea. I wonder why it took so long!I have two other $$$ sharpeners and they are terrible to use and the results are not the best.I would love to give these a try.Http://www.subeesews.blogspot.com

I need to replace my 6 inch square ruler. It definitely is wearing out and curving. I think these rulers are a great idea, especially to be able to extend the life of your blades. Thanks for the chance.

The timing for this giveaway could not be better. My one-year-old broke my long acrylic ruler into four pieces just minutes ago while I sat at my sewing machine. Frustrated, I hopped on facebook for a minute, and a friend had posted the link to your blog and giveaway. I'll cross my fingers...

It seems like I am always having to purchase or sharpen blades since I share all my quilting supplies with my two daughters. 7yrs and 13 yrs. But it pays off since we all have quilts in the local quilt show March 5 & 6. I would love to win. Thanks for the opportunity.

This ruler looks awesome. I just finished a quilt and some of the cuts seemed a bit off. Maybe that's because the edge of my ruler is worn. I never thought about it. I need this ruler to keep my cutter sharp and edges straight!!lindab1232@sfcn.org

As I have begun to teach my granddaughter to cut with a ruler and a rotary blade, I believe this would be an excellent tool for her to use. Having better lines and the advantages of the ruler not slipping for her 9 year old hands would be great. It looks like a super ruler

I would live to win this ruler because it seems like every time I change my blade, I end up dropping my rotary cutter and getting a ding in it right away. I really dislike the skips and raggedy cuts that this causes!

I really need a new 6 x 24 ruler and have been putting off buying one. I'd love to win this one and if I liked it--I would buy some other sizes too. I've quilted for a long time and I really need a couple new rulers.

WHY?? Goodness I have many reasons. Can't ever find the new blades in my studio, my old ruler has almost no lines left to see, and I'm cutting for 10 quilts right now, so I'm going through blades left and right!!!

I so need a new ruler but they are expensive. I have had mine since I was in my late 20's and I just turned 50 on Sunday. Time for a new ruler I think. This one looks like you can really see the lines.

We live in an RV, so all my tools have to do at least double duty = we just don't have a lot of room for extras. In fact, we have no spare blades for the rotary cutters, so a ruler/sharpener would be just the thing to make my day!!